A wood-destroying insect report is a written report from a licensed pest control company, based on a thorough visual inspection of accessible areas inside and outside the structure.

It is usually required by a bank or other lending institution before they will loan money to refinance or purchase a home.

The report indicates what visible evidence was found by the inspector, and recommendations to resolve the infestation, if one was found. The report is recorded on form MD-1.

Although there are many wood destroying insects, for purposes of this inspection and report, wood destroying insects include:

• Subterranean termites
• Carpenter Ants
• Carpenter Bees
• Wood-boring Beetles

Each insect has its own signs:

• Subterranean termites: Mud tunnels, shed wings, live or dead termites, and damage.
• Carpenter ants: Course wood shavings and live ants.
• Carpenter bees: Half-inch holes in the wood, splatter on the exterior of the home beneath the holes, and hovering bees.
• Wood-boring beetles: fine sawdust-like material on the floor or surface beneath the very small holes in the wood.

A Wood Destroying Insect Report only includes a visual inspection, meaning that the inspector will only be looking at readily accessible and unobstructed areas, both on the inside and outside perimeters of your home. The inspector will not open walls, flooring, or ceilings as part of the inspection.

If you are borrowing money from a bank or other financial institution to purchase the home, yes.

In most cases the price of a Wood Destroying Insect Report is $150 to $200, but may depend on the size of the home, and whether or not there is a crawl space.